I bought Ocean`s Kingdom on a whim, being an old Beatles and Macca fan with an interest in symphonies. Seeing it on sale today (release date 4.10.2011) I thought I might give it a shot. Expectations were, however, in the low range.
What a pleasant surprise was in store!
The first movement and title song is a slow one that begins in a somber style but slowly in a wavelength fashion adds more life into it. Despite being in the Adagio zone, it has all the Macca joyfulness one would expect, sometimes it is turgid and not panning out (he should have had an editor often during his solo years) but here it shines.
The Hall of Dance is, as the title indicates, starts more in the up-tempo arena. It has a Nordic and Slavic feel to it, written rather obviously with ballet dancers in mind. The middle section slows things down a bit and is probably the weakest part of the set. The finale of the movement is still very good.
The third movement, Imprisonment, is the best one. There is something haunting about this piece, slow but yet full of life. A natural flow of feelings set in a rather ambient arrangement.
Moonrise, the final movement, sets light to the set with what I would believe is descriptive or program music. There is much action going on during this set with a magnificent and joyful ending.
Despite being a traditional classical ballet score, the Macca touches are apparent. For those who appreciate classical music and are old Beatles and/or Macca fans, I recommend this set.